Sure it's just the fourth day of 2015 training camp, but this Sunday morning in beautiful, cool White Sulphur Springs, it was a little hotter on the field in the form of physicality.

"I tell you they got after it. You could feel the intensity out there today. And I thought the players really got after each other," said Saints Color Analyst Hokie Gajan.

Hokie and the Cajun Cannon both agreed that the fourth practice of Saints camp was the best thus far. "You could tell the coaches put an emphasis on getting to the football and that the players knew today was a full contact day," said Hebert.

Saints DB Kenny Phillips had a nice interception at the end of practice, and little known LB Henry Coley was the recipient of a tipped ball that landed in his hands for another interception for the Saints defense.

The Cajun Cannon says

The CC says that the Saints defense forced several turnovers this morning at practice. S Kenny Phillips picked off a pass during the team drills. Phillips picked off QB Ryan Griffin. Then a few plays later LB Henry Coley picked off a pass also.

Bobby said that the Saints were sloppy at times but the best play according the the Cajun one came when QB Drew Brees hooked up with WR Brandin Cooks. "Cooks hauled in about a 50 yard pass from Brees. Brandin got behind the Saints defensive backfield for a big gainer."

Bobby said that Free Agent CB Delvin Breaux had a shot at a good interception but was unable to catch the ball. "It would have been another pick off for the defense today. When you're a defender if the ball hits your hands you've got to come down with it. You could tell that Delvin was frustrated he did not get the interception."

Bobby said he saw good physical contact when veteran RB Tim Hightower lowered his shoulder and ran into LB David Hawthorne. "Both players lowered their heads and it was a good physical exchange near the sidelines."

Hokie was impressed by the Saints physicality at todays practice. "I think the players knew that they were going to be hit today. Strap it up and get ready because the players got after it."

Hokie said that he thinks today's practice was the best by far this camp for the Saints. And Gajan says that you can tell the coaches want the players to know this camp is going to be a physical one.

"When you get to about that third day in pads your body starts to wear down some and you start to feel the pain of training camp even more. Tomorrow I look forward to see which players can bring that intensity at a high level after being in pads for three days."

The Temp & Top plays

The morning temp up here folks was a cool, crisp 57 degrees. Practice was sunny and cool with a good breeze the entire practice.

Those who follow sports know that there are, and will continue to be, many cliché's and sayings. I can remember back in my days at good ole Amite High School Coach Nick Labarbera would yell, "Ok we are live and in color."

What Coach meant was that the pads were on, and it was time to hit and light things up a bit. Well the Black and Gold were live and in color this morning with their first practice in full pads.

If we were back home, it would be late October. The most perfect weather conditions highlighted day 3 of Saints Training Camp. "It is a beautiful day," I heard the voice of the Saints Jim Henderson say as I greeted Jim, Hokie and the Cajun Cannon in the far stands at the Greenbrier Practice Facility.

The practice start time temp was 65 degrees, warming up to a breezy 72 degrees. Simply put, it felt great. The Saints donned full gear for the first time this camp with an over two hour practice.

Hokie's Call

Saints Color Analyst Hokie Gajan takes notes at each practice, and today ole #46 gave the nod to the Saints defense overall on day one of full padded practice.

"I think the defense had the edge today. I don't think that any of the Saints QB's looked real crisp today. And I'd have to give some of the credit to that of the Saints defense."

Hokie said that he liked what he saw when it came to the Saints run stopping.
"It was encouraging to see the run defense stuff the runs more times than not."
Hokie also focused on Saints OL rookie Andrus Peat.

"Peat is getting adjusted. He's kind of feeling out what he has to and needs to do on the pro level," said Gajan.
Hokie always uses caution when it comes to not getting too concerned about anything at this point, and on the flip side also not to get too excited about anything to this point.

"Hey it's the first day of pads. So things are just getting into the next phase of practice. In about a week we will be able to get a better grasp on how things are progressing."

Bobby's Take

The Cajun Cannon and I sat in the stands as Hebert is constantly working that pen of his, intensely taking notes.
"I think today was the least accurate the QB's have seen in camp. You can give some of the credit for that to the defense."

Bobby also pointed out that he saw several dropped balls today.
"It was the most dropped balls I've seen at practice up to this point. Brandin Cooks and Ben Watson dropped passes, and they don't usually drop balls," Hebert said.

Bobby continues to be pleased with the camp that DL Akiem Hicks is having thus far. Hicks picked up OG Jahri Evans and thumped him in one on one drills, and Hicks picked up another QB Sack.

Bobby said WR Brandon Coleman leads the way being the most active WR with anywhere between 15-20 receptions at camp so far.

Top Plays

#53 Linebacker Ramon Humber had a QB Sack in the team portion of practice, CB Brandon Browner was active yet again hounding around the football more times than not, with the veteran CB breaking up a pass in team drills.

WR Joe Morgan made the play of the day hauling in a nice pass from QB Drew Brees. Morgan extended his body in full motion to snag a ball out of the air behind the coverage of veteran CB Brandon Browner.

Who Dat is?

WR #13 Joe Morgan. Morgan did a nice job of using his speed to get behind CB Brandon Browner this morning. Then Morgan extended his body through his stretched hands to haul in about a 20 yard grab.

Up next

The Saints will have an hour walk-through this evening from 4:30-5:30pm. The Black and Gold return to the field Sunday Morning for their second full pad practice kicking off at 8:50 local time.

Like E.F. Hutton - when he talks, we all listen. One of the longest tenured voices in the National Football League stopped by Sports Talk to pay a visit to the Cajun Cannon and the Big Chief.

“It’s off to a good start I think,” said Jim Henderson, speaking on the first two days of the Saints 2015 Training Camp. Jim talked about a variety of things including what he thinks are some of the things the Saints need to do better this season.

The longtime voice of the New Orleans Saints feels like the Black and Gold offense needs a stronger running game. “I don’t know where all the offense is going to come from in the passing game with the loss of so many weapons. I think that the running game is going to be real key. The Saints have added more linemen and another proven back in C.J. Spiller so getting consistent production from the running game is important.”

Jim said that the way the Saints ended the season was something that the club used during the off season to upgrade areas where they felt they needed to help them get back to the post season. Jim also talked about the very important turnover ratio.

“Finishing minus 13 in the turnover department is something the Saints can ill afford to do in 2015. You see the emphasis on trying to take the ball away already in this training camp. When the Saints have a chance to create a turnover they need to.”

Henderson says this training camp is a very important one under Sean Payton with the feeling that many players have something to prove much like the players and coaches did back in Sean Payton’s first season back in 2006. Jim also hit on how important it is for the Saints to get off to a good start this season.

And as far as the voice of the Saints and his first call of the season, well let’s just say that Jim is ready for when the Saints hit the field to take on the Baltimore Ravens.

To listen to Bobby and Deke’s entire conversation with the voice of the Saints Jim Henderson please click below.

The first two days of practice are in the books, and the New Orleans Saints will get down to more physical business tomorrow. "When you put on the pads it changes things," said Hokie Gajan. The Saints wrapped up this morning at the Greenbrier with a two hour plus practice and willdon full pads for the first time tomorrow morning. The weather was much cooler today, feeling a lot like late October in Louisiana.

The Cajun Cannon's Take

Bobby's articulate notes began with an overview of what several Saints defensive players did. Rafael Bush had a pass break-up this morning while covering TE Ben Watson, and Keenan Lewis broke up a pass in coverage against WR Nick Toon. DL Akiem Hicks and LB Parys Haralson both had QB take downs this morning and Cam Jordan batted down a pass and had a sack. "I know it's early, but the front line of the defense has been batting down the football at a nice rate so far," the Cajun Cannon said.

Bobby also noted that LB David Hawthorne showed good play covering RB Mark Ingram, and rookie defender Hau'oli Kikaha was running with the first team defense at today's practice.

On the offensive side of the football, RB Khiry Robinson came up with two nice plays this morning. "He had a nice 12 yard gain that could have gone the distance - and then K-Rob hauled in a screen pass for at least 15 yards!"

Saints FB Austin Johnson broke free after hauling in a reception on a wheel route for a big gain from QB Drew Brees, and rookie QB Garret Grayson made a nice throw in a tight window this morning. "Grayson did a nice job of kind of threading the ball into a tight area. Grayson threw about a 20 yard strike to WR Lance Lewis," Bobby said, adding that Grayson is learning the Saints ropes but he still looks like a rookie.

Bobby also said that big WR Brandon Coleman has caught between 6-8 balls the first two days. "The Saints are giving him Coleman a chance to prove he can be a bigger part of the offense."

Hokie says that TE Ben Watson is poised to have a breakout year. "You can tell from the entire offseason and the first part of training camp that Ben Watson is going to be a big part of the Saints offense. He gets the ball a lot each practice," Gajan said.

Hokie also pointed out that WR Brandon Coleman could be in store for some big things. "He's so big, and at 6'-6" the Saints will look to take advantage of that height Coleman has in his favor."

Hokie says that the first padded practice will be one that has more energy in it. "There is something about putting on the pads that amps things up. Players know that practices are more physical with pads on and the intensity level spikes some as well."

Saints CB Keenan Lewis has gotten off to a great start at training camp. "Anytime the ball is thrown his way, he going to be right there. Keenan has really done well in the first two practices and the Saints are going to need him to do well this season."

Hokie also gave a nice nod to DB Rafael Bush. Gajan said that Bush was very active this morning getting around the football more times than not. And Hokie says that second year DB Stanley Jean Baptiste is showing signs of improvement.

WR Lance Lewis had a nice grab from rookie QB Garret Grayson this morning. Lewis is a second year player from East Carolina that the Saints signed as a free agent this off season.

Up next

The Saints will have another walk through session this evening and then hit the field at 8:50AM local time with full pads on for the first time since their last game of the 2014 season against the Tampa Bay Bucs.

After a terrible start to the 2014 NFL Season, leadership and team leaders came into question for the New Orleans Saints. On more than one occasion, we heard a lot about team leaders and whether or not the Saints had good, strong leadership inside their locker room. When you lose more than you win, leadership problems are even more magnified.

Now fast forward to the spring of 2015 when the Saints consistently talked about how the team was looking to bring in and add quality, high character guys to their ball club. And as training camp 2015 begins, the question of what kind of locker room the Saints will have this season is pretty much on the minds of everyone, from coaches and players to the media and the fans.

Have the Saints made the right moves to ensure that the things that hindered them last year have been addressed and corrected? On day one of training camp a few of the Saints' longest tenured players talked about leadership.

“So much of that’s trust and accountability, the guys that we have on this team, having the right type of guys on this team, guys that are great leaders, guys that want to work hard, guys that will compete, and care about one another... I think that we have that on our team. Now you get to build from the foundation up. It starts with day one of training camp like we did today,” Drew Brees said. “The opportunity to come out, to compete, to get better, to push one and other, to make each better - gradually you just keep swinging away at it and then by the time the season rolls around, you feel like every day was like a game day atmosphere, every day was coming out and trying to gain an edge and that carries over to the season.”

I think the question many of you have is, do the Saints have the right leaders now? And if they do, does it mean that the wrong leaders are no longer here? Or could it be that the leaders in place now are helping those who weren’t leaders become better locker room team mates?

To think that the Saints were just one player away from being a better leadership-led team in 2014 would not be something that I would agree with. And to think that one new face is going to make the Saints the team they want to be when it comes to having strong leadership would also fall into the same category.

When you win as a team, the little things that seemingly tend to make good teams bad don’t matter as much, simply because that team is winning. But when a team loses, all of those very same little things are magnified to the tenth power.

Are the Saints closer to having the kind of leadership they want? Or are they further away? If the answer is the latter, then 2015 will be another bad season and more, much more than lack of leadership will be pointed out and rightfully so.

Leadership comes into question more often than not when a team does not reach and or meet their expectations. In the Sean Payton era the Saints have met and exceeded expectations far more times than not. And if those expectations are met this season we won’t hear much about if the Saints have a strong core of leaders within in their locker room.

The New Orleans Saints began training camp with a morning practice at the Greenbrier this morning. The Black and Gold worked through some wet conditions with a light rain falling during parts of the AM session.

One of the best plays of day one took place when veteran CB Keenan Lewis picked off a pass. Lewis dove and snagged an interception off back-up QB Luke McCown.

Later in practice an unknown player in WR Willie Snead came up with a couple of nice grabs. The second year player out of Ball State got behind DB Stanley Jean Baptiste for a nice reception and then Snead beat DB P.J. Williams for a nice gain.

Bobby Hebert liked the play Lewis made in forcing a turnover for the Saints defense. "Those are the kind of plays the Saints have to make. Lewis got a chance at forcing a turnover and he came up with a big interception. You've got to catch the ball when it hits your hands," said the Cajun Cannon.

Other notable plays came when new CB Brandon Browner blocked an attempted Field Goal during special teams. Browner, who the Saints picked up through Free Agency, rushed from the left side and penetrated deep enough to make a play on the football.

"You can tell he's (Browner) is a player that is active around the football," said Saints Color Analyst Hokie Gajan. Browner not only blocked a FG the veteran also broke up a pass at the Saints first practice.

Bobby was impressed with what he called the best play of day one when Lewis intercepted QB Luke McCown. Bobby's notes also had QB Luke McCown hit WR Nick Toon for a 20 yard hook up and fellow back-up QB Ryan Griffin threw a deep ball on a corner route to TE Kevin Brock for about a 40 yard gain.

"I think that throw (Ryan Griffin) was the best of the day. Ryan has good touch on his deep balls," Hebert said. Griffin would later throw another deep pass to WR Willie Snead for a long completion.

Bobby noticed that the Saints were running two 7 on 7 drills at the same time. The former signal caller said that this is being done to maximize the QB's ability to get more snaps at practice.

"By running two 7 on 7 drills at the same time, all four QB's are getting a fair amount of reps." Bobby was impressed with the skills of new RB C.J. Spiller. "He's quick and fast and you can tell that the Saints are going to use him in a variety of ways on offense."

Hokie's Call

Hokie noted that day one started out kind of wet. "I saw a couple of small miscues and the weather might have had to do something with it," said Gajan.

Like Bobby, Hokie was impressed with the play of veteran CB Keenan Lewis and WR Willie Snead. "You expect a guy like Lewis to make plays. But with that said, his interception was a very good one. I like his start to camp. And then Snead is just one of those guys we don't know a lot about but he did a good job of getting attention on day one."

Hokie said all in all he thought that the first day of Saints Training Camp was just fine. Gajan gave a good nod to DL Akiem Hicks, who picked up a sack in the morning session while fellow defender DL #78 Bobby Richardson also had a QB take down on day one.

QB Ryan Griffin was in two of the best plays today. The former Green Wave signal caller hit TE #85 Kevin Brock on a deep route and then Griffin would later throw another deep ball up the near sideline connecting with WR #84 Lance Lewis.

The Saints will have a walk through practice this afternoon and get back to work in the morning with practice slated to begin at 8:50 EST. For the latest on the Black and Gold and all the developments at Saints Training Camp stay logged on to WWL.com and listen to our resident pro's Hokie Gajan and Bobby Hebert on Sports Talk weekdays at 4PM on 870AM/FM 105.3

They have been there and done that when it comes to getting it done on the field for the Black and Gold, and this week WWL Saints Radio resident pros Bobby Hebert and Hokie Gajan will once again team up to break down Saints Training Camp. “Man, the dog days of summer is over. Football season is here, and now I think as fans we all get excited and members of the Who Dat Nation are ready for some Saints football. And so am I,” said Bobby.

I (Deke) can always tell when the Cannon is fired up, as that big vein in his neck flares up. Well Who Dats, dat neck was working in fine fashion on the eve of Saints Training Camp. Bobby is flat out ready. “This is an important camp. The Saints have a lot of new faces and several familiar faces are no longer here. I think there is a lot of opportunity for some young players to come in and make an impact right away. I think this will be a very competitive camp over the next four weeks.”

Saints Color Analyst Hokie Gajan has his own list of things he’s looking for. “Early on it’s kind of an opportunity to get use to the new faces, what their names are and what jersey number they are wearing.” Hokie has his eyes set on the new additions to the Saints O-Line including Center Max Unger, and Hokie wants to see how rookie OT Andrus Peat progresses. “Adding a proven, veteran leader like Unger you would have to think the entire group is better. I don’t expect Andrus Peat to come in and be a starter from day one. He’s going to have to pick things up and get better each day.”

Both Bobby and Hokie said that the battle for the kicker spot is going to be one to keep an eye on. And both of our resident pros are expecting to see more good things from DB Delvin Breaux. “He did just about everything right during OTA’s and mini-camp,” said Hokie. “Delvin Breaux can be a big impact player for this team. The Saints need help in the secondary and he has been a fast learner thus far and he’s been able to get his hands on the football. The Saints desperately need a defensive guy that can get his hands on the football,” said Hebert.

The Saints hit the field in West Virginia Thursday morning and will continue prepping for the 2015 season while practicing at the Greenbrier. Having played in Black and Gold for many seasons our pros give the Who Dat Nation a unique breakdown each day of each Saints practice.

Be sure and follow the Black and Gold and listen to two former Saints greats analyze each play at each practice from day one to week 17. Football season is back and WWL Radio is your home for all things Saints!

When it comes to football, it always comes down to who has the best guys in the trenches. Who better to ask about the Saints offensive line than former Saints offensive lineman Steve Korte?

“The Saints have made a lot changes, and it’s going to be interesting to see how these guys progress and come together during training camp,” Steve said Monday on Sports Talk. Korte says that he likes the Saints obtaining former Seattle Seahawks center Max Unger. “He’s one of the best linemen in the league, and his play on the field and leadership off the field will be huge for the Saints this season.”

The Saints offense does return two of the team’s most tenured players in RT Zach Strief and OG Jhari Evans. Both Evans and Strief were members of the Saints 2006 draft class that sees the two vets enter their 10th season in the NFL with the Black and Gold. “Both of those guys have skins on the wall. Zach and Jahri know what to do and they have been in big time games. I think their ability to help the younger players get comfortable on the field is a strength of the team.”

And when it comes to Unger, Steve says let him play now! “I don’t know how physically strong he is in the upper body but I’d like to see him get out there and play right away.”

Steve said he likes the Saints moves this off season and he expects the Saints to be better up front in 2015. “The addition of Unger is huge. I like the new faces and I expect the Saints O-Line to be improved in 2015.”

Follow WWL for up-to-the-minute updates from Saints Training Camp in West Virginia!

I know - every year is the so called "most important year" for particular teams, coaches and players. We hear it all the time. But to those who follow the Black and Gold, the 2015 Saints training camp could very well be the most important - and in several different ways.

1) Do the Saints still have it?

First of all, what is "it?" Some coach said "it" a while back and it stuck. To me, the Saints having "it" means they are an elite team. New Orleans is a team that is offensively built from one of the brightest minds in the game today, but even the brightest of minds have bad games, bad seasons and bad years. And make no bones about it, 2014 was a bad year for Sean Payton. Now Payton has made several changes to his coaching staff and brought in the kind of players that he feels like will help him get back on track. And Sean himself said that the things that were not done correctly in last seasons 7-9 year have been identified and adjustments have been made. If the Saints do still have "it," then Sean Payton will have the Saints back in the postseason and among the top 12 teams in the NFL. If he does not, then "it" may mean more changes. And anything in the form of change won't be off the table if "it" is a bad 2015 in the Big Easy!

2) Drew's decline?

Anytime Drew Brees does not throw for over 350 yards and three TD's people crawl out from the woodwork and claim good ole #9 is declining. Drew Brees is as valuable today to the Saints as he was the day he helped the team win their first Super Bowl. At this time, putting a timeframe on how much longer Drew can play is flat out dumb. Honestly, Drew can play in this league as long as he feels like it and as long as his body holds up. Ask yourself this question - are there 32 starting QB's in the NFL better than Brett Favre or Kurt Warner right now? That answer is clearly no. But can those guys' bodies hold up? The Saints have re-tooled their beef stock on the O-Line to protect their golden armed QB even more moving forward. Put it this way - as long as #9 is playing in a Saints uniform the Saints have a chance to win. And the longer that above sentence applies, the better it is for the Who Dat Nation.

3) Between the Lines

The Saints interior lines were not very good last season. Sure, the Saints ran the football at times, but the inconsistency of not being able to pound the ball at key moments is what hurt the Saints. The Saints have brought in a top flight center and gotten younger, faster and stronger in other spots. The Saints are better right now up front then they have been in a while. On the defense, it's once again a frustrating situation in this team's inability to find a good, interior D-Lineman. How awesome would it be to have a Frank Warren or Jim Wilks right now? The Saints defense will be better if the interior D-Line is better. And the Saints defense will be just as bad, if not worse, if they don't get better play from the middle of the D-Line. Look people, it's simple, you can't put a band aid over a gunshot wound. What I'm saying is that in the end your weaknesses will show up and other teams will expose those weaknesses. Bring in all the cover corners you want and sign a dozen safeties. But until you get a push up the gut and put heat on the opposing QB you're only asking for trouble!

4) Running to another title

New Orleans looks to be seemingly in very good shape when it comes to rushing the football. The Saints signed two of the leagues best RB's to contracts this off season. Ingram and Spiller are two guys that each bring a little something special and different to the Saints offense. New Orleans has to give these guys the ball more often than not. I'm no offensive guru but I'l tell you that no matter how good of a QB you've got, if rushing the football is not your main goal on offense, then you're going to come up short. This off season the Saints higher ups have shown a strong commitment to running the football. Now will that same commitment be consistent in every game this season? As long as #9 is under center then we are ok. But more #9 handing the ball off instead of throwing it downfield is going to mean more wins and more games to be played - postseason games, that is. Numbers don't lie and when the season is over, the teams that run the football the best are the ones that are still around in January and February.

During the entire off-season, and particularly right around the time of the 2015 Draft, the Saints talked about being a smarter, more disciplined team in preparation for the upcoming season. New Orleans said goodbye to many familiar faces, brought in some key veteran additions, and added a draft class that looks to be one that carries a lot of young playmakers that hopefully will turn into strong locker room leaders.

This is all just a hunch - but I get the feeling that Coach Payton knows that the early part of training camp is very important in moving forward to his team's success in 2015.

A year ago at this time, the Saints were basking in the media hype about the Black and Gold. Just about everyone (including myself) thought that the Saints were going to be the main challenger to derail the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl train.

Things quickly went from being all good to being terrible as the Saints came out looking like anything but a contender. Blowing leads in Atlanta and Cleveland to start the season was just an indication of things to come. In fact, the Saints 0-2 start was only the early onset of what may have been the most dissapointing season in Saints history.

Now, as we are two weeks away from the start of training camp, the Saints find themselves somewhat as a mystery-like team. Many of the major pre-season publications still find space on the Saints bandwagon, as the Black and Gold are the favorite - by many - to win the NFC South. But each of those publications also uses caution about the Saints simply because of what the team did a year ago; and of course, because of the Black and Gold defense.

I think that Saints Coach Sean Payton wants to hit the reset button when it comes to his team. Off-season moves like trading away TE Jimmy Graham sent messages loud and clear without the Super Bowl winning coach ever opening his mouth.

Now, Payton will use his voice and his whistle to conduct his 10th training camp as head man in the Big Easy. I personally think this year's training camp will be one that sees coach push the envelope when it comes to having as practices be as tough as possible, with more of a sense of urgency and a faster tempo. They say if you ever go to work relaxed then something is wrong. Sure, we all strive for job security but it's that hair standing up on the back of your neck feeling, the look over your shoulder to see that someone behind you is pushing you to perform at your best each day feeling - all of that was lacking at camp last year.

The Saints can't relax. The Saints need that feeling that someone is after their job. And the Saints need that sense of urgency that time is ticking and this team has to get it right this season - or else!

Players have been moved, coaches have been replaced and the Saints are now set to open camp in two weeks. A year ago the Saints were the talk of the preseason and now the Saints are a team that doesn't draw much more than a whisper around the NFL.

Maybe some of those lower media expectations are a good thing, but really, the Saints' own expectations are as high as ever. And a year from now, either I'll be telling you that 2014 was a bump in the road or 2014 was a pothole that needs a new crew to fix! Time will tell.